Ecliptic flasher lamp



Nav. 3Q, 3948. H. w. McQUAlD ECLIPTIC FLASHER LAMP W J)? 2 Q m a m/ yaw TDR;

Filed NOV. 10, 1944 Patented Nov. 30, 1948 Eonm rIciFLAsHER LAME; Harry W editate; L ,Angelea Calif 4 Application November 10, 1944; Srial No'. 562,885

3 .Claims a (Cl 1; I

This: discovery-is in the art of oneand-s-oir;.;elec tric" flasher" lamps and '1 the t'r -inventivez' con-cent r thereof embodies mechanicalzmeansrin. Ecombinaation:to:efie'ct a total or a partial eclipse of lightr" from a related sourceyzotherfthan:by the snaking; 5' and breaking of an electricaci'rcuitrtor:circuits.

Inxcertain "adaptations of :lamp i devices;--': as for instance in rcongregational :or general ipublicl displays it is :desirable to produce special. lighting eifects according 130711118 ultimatezresultfin views 10, which are too' numerous tosneed zrecitatiomnand a'purposeof thisfinvention-is toprovide a me-- chanica-laction: :lamp iof the' utmost simplicity, of very' low construction'cost and -seliin'gipric'ey' and. operational: expense; WhiChT iS substantial and practicable in structure, needs no; expertla-z I bor-service-in upkeeirand canreadilybe installed 7 indisplay locale, and involves 'lbutrasingle mov ing shutter which can be rotativelyjrdriven-iand positively controlledby a simple shaftcmotiuated v: bywany suitable medium preferablyzga'eregularlyg; timed shaft. v

The lamp-0f this invention *rhasuin'rview' thew provision s of cooperative means" whereby to. effect the instantaneous eclipse nor the partial eclipse of a flood of light from-aireiatedsourceorsources: in periods of successive eclipses of .anyg-desireda; time length, and especially it is; a-purpQseof; the-winvention to eiTect-such a resuitf sol'ely 'by;cooperation of a pair. of light :passing {members-- which have I relative rotation and-tarei-provided -r with systems of windows-rand ishutterwsegmentsof'such character-and relatinntoat a moment all pass-light from a.neart source tocsecure full: effulgenceatisaid members-,-and atithe next 'mo--- ment tototally or nearly totally eclipse-the lightw stream without cyclic traveleiTect-gv in other q words to-provide an intermittent flashingrgburst of light from the lamp with -interv'ening complete; or nearly complete blackouts.

Further; the invention has as an objective to conceal the primary source or sources of light and to gather and reflect the flood oflight to the windowed parts of the lamp, and in :thisfconnec tion a desideratum is to provide a plurality; ofzi 5 sources of lightof. different color lwhichlmay be utilized either selectively or in combination to give mu'ltitudinous colors tOfiTth light from""the' lamp; Q

And, noticeably-a purposeof the invention is 5o tolprovide a lamp in-which-p1ural sdurces"of-light are so isolated one from the other that separate portions of the lamp unit may be illuminated wholly without light aid from other sources but altogether cooperative in attaining an intended display by the lamp.

The discovery resides in certain novel conceptions improving the art as set forth in the ensuing text and having, with the above, additional purposes and advantages as hereinafter developed,

and whoseciconstructions, tailszofv means; and ithe mannerof operation-a will he -madei'manifestein the-following descrip tion: of ':the herewith; illustrative embodiments; 4

Ac .l i

.fcombinations andadee 7 it. being understood;' that modifications variae tiODSi and-adaptations may be resorted-to. within the-scope spirit and; Dr nciplenof: the: invention. as. it .ismore direct1y;claimedpresentlm Figure- 1 :15: a1diametricahsection:of thellampg Figure "2 is a; frontal pview-zwith a portion: of a 7 front or; face -p1ate.;br,oken :away to=show a por-i tion of an: inner-,-, rotary ;-shutter.-;

Figure .3 is -a,frag ment;rof.,:a zmodifiedr inner? shutter,- with; windowsedesigned for a partial- ;eclipse. and swaying shadow -effect .in :the emitted light.

Figure ,4 is; va front --view-:ofl l-a ;-:front"ipla te. with windows designed to give -animated or. :life-like effects to .a desired su-biect, such :as wind-motion of -.trees orlimb motion; to animal figures.

The illustrated lamp includesea .boxzor drum 2 of any, suitable-size,shape andmaterial; (pr,ei--

erably opaquesandihere provided-with asuitable l motor -3 driving a-centrakshaitA at any- ,desired rate of rotation as one fullxturn pfil minute in;

the presented instance effect .a .low number of totalrorsubstantially total eclipses or the-lamp lightr this being' fs1ow enough to it escapes pore sistence' of s/ision.

In the drum is a rigid wall 5 through, which:

the ;central. shaft passes-and has fixed, on, :its

forward end=-;a epositive section-i discalshutter- 6 of opaque rv oretranslucent material i as. desired ac, cording to intent of; results,v and sif translucent,

.of anygdesired-rcolori- The bacl; face, of theshut tends;preferablysof a highly-light reflecting ca-H 1 pacity whereby to; cast light from a sourcesuch as. one or 'moreqluminous tubes and ;8 disposedbe tween; the 'rshutter {B an'dvthe; wall 5,which;als.o is aoflhighly reflective capacity.

Thedight-tubes may be located atiany desired gposition---concentrically, here;- about: the shafts but preferably: aredisposed in an i annular channel-B :to preferably-iconceal thetubes; from diriect yiew at the: face.-zofrthen-lampz: The "sure:

iace-zof- -ithe :xl-channelsjnextz to the; tubes :i and :8 is. highly reflective to throw outias: much :as pose sible ofiintercepted light'toward' the. front of'the walli5 which isihere showntas concaved inan eife'ctive shape to'reflect "all possiblt a light forward to the-'rotative shuttera A distinct feature of this invention is the provision in the shutter 6 and in the face plate ID of systems of light transmitting windows and intermediate light intercepting segments whereby to effect full, successive or partially full eclipses of the source light. To accomplish this eifect the shutter has a suitable number of narrow radial windows 6w which may be wholly clear, or translucent and of any desired color 3 if so. The face plate III has a number of similar, radial windows IIlw exactly equal to the number of windows in the shutter. In these members, the shutter and .theface plate, the windows are, in each, laterally separated by radial segments (is and His, respectively, which are materially wider than their related windows so that if all windows are at one instant of time directly opposite, in both systems, then a flood of light will show through the face plate andbe visible as a substantial disc of light composed of close, radial beams; which may be of any desired radial length as to the center of the lamp. I

It will be seen that the narrower windows pass back of the somewhat wider segments Ills of the front plate Ill, and since the number of these wide segments is equal to the number of windows in the shutter then all light will be eclipsed as the segments of the shutter fully register with the windows Hiw of the face plate. The obscuration will be but momentary and light will again burst forth in the form of a large uninterrupted, efiulgent, discal ring composed of the separated beams coming concurrently through all the radial windows of the two members '6 and I6, as their windows again register. The discal light bursts will be as many per minute as there are windows in the balanced systems of the two light controlling members 6 and I; thirtytwo are shown, as an example, and assuming one rotation of the shutter per minute.

A decidedly attractive lighting effect is had by providing haphazardly disposed segments, in either or both of the members 6 and ID, of widths different from the Widths of other segments of the related system. In Fig. 3 the shutter 6 has wide segments 6s and variant segments 60. The light effect resulting is not a total eclipse at any instant in the cycle of the shutter 6 and has an illusion of a black cloud or shadow swaying on the face of the lamp with intervals of full ring zone light burst. The identical effect is repeated at each cycle of the shutter but without any circular drifting effect of the observed light burst.

This ecliptic effect may be employed in a lamp having a front plate I0 provided with constantly active, light passing areas to produce highly desirous results. Fig. 2 shows how the center of the plate III as having a light passing window (here a star) I I with points near the inner ends of the radial windows II. This window II receives light generated by a light tube I2 shielded in a shell I3 isolating it from the tubes I and 8 and these from the window I I, and stopping light from the tube I2 spreading to the aforesaid shutter windows. As shown, the shell I3 mayform one wall of the channel device abovedescribed, for constructional purposes. It is obvious that the light tubes may be constant or intermittent in operation to produce the desired light effects and combinations from the shutter 6, and may be of any color, as also may the patterned window, and all reflecting surfaces may have desired colors. The

manner of construction of the light control parts 6 as to light emitting windows and as to light intercepting features is one of choice to the artisan, and no specific embodiment is claimed.

To secure an animated effect by the lighted lamp a face plate I6 is shown in Fig. 4 as having a stationary window outline I4 of animal form and with the limbs and the tail thereof at such positions and angle that as the radial windows 6w of the lamp shutter 6 pass the limbs and the tail light will flash on and off to give animal motion effect to the observers view. Eye and mouth windows I5 and I6 will enhance the animal resemblance as light 'flashes.

Since all of the radial windows flash on at one time and then off at one time there is no rotational or travelling impression of the emitted light around the face of the lamp. That would destroy the discal burst effect here had by light coming out at one instant from all of the front windows of the lamp; even when the central window I I is constantly lighted.

What is claimed is:

1. A flashing lamp including a source of light, coordinate light controlling and relatively movable members and means to effect said movement; said members having circular systems of equinumerous, concurrently registerable windows for the emission of the light and certain zone groups of the windows being of differentiated light emitting areas whereby to produce the effect of lateral swaying and expanding and contracting spot zones during the periods of registration of the difierentiated windows while the remaining windows of the systems are all blocking out the light.

2. An alternately flashing and black out lamp including a source of light, and means for substantially fully blocking out light from said source and flashing the light in circular Zone in alternate actions, and including coordinate, light controlling members and means for relatively moving them; said members having circular systems of equinumerant windows concurrently registerable for the instantaneous efiulgence of light from the windows in a generally annular zone effect and whereby nearly all of the light is stopped out at one time when the windows are out of register; certain of the windows being difierentiated in area to emit light while the remaining windows are out of register and stop light flow, to get the efiect of small light zones intermittently between periods of full effulgence from the registered systems.

3. The lamp of claim 2; the windows being of non-rectangular form.

HARRY W. MCQUAID.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,679,167 Nolan July 31, 1923 2,097,123 Hotchner Oct. 26, 1937 2,363,566 Aldis Nov. 24, 1944 

